Caitlin Lenahan has been living without running water for eight years. The home she rents — which is only a few miles from the University of Alaska Fairbanks — has an outhouse, a faucetless sink with a bucket underneath, and a collection of blue water jugs she refills in town. 

Alaska has one of the highest concentrations of homes without plumbing in the United States. Near Fairbanks, where winter temperatures can dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, this type of “dry cabin” is not uncommon. Dry cabins are more affordable and often less troublesome, given that freezing temperatures and shifting permafrost can wreak havoc on pipes. 

“You get used to it pretty fast,” said Lenahan. 

To hear more about her life without plumbing, click the audio player above.